Just last Sunday after our Hogwarts Yule ball I put Professor McGonagall’s clothes away and wondered when I would get the chance to wear them again.

Being the current Headmistress of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry had become a weekly, sometimes daily, occurrence during the first lockdown but now it had become a special treat and our Yule ball was supposed to be a bit of a farewell. Gathering all our Hogwarts Students who’d joined us every week for our Hogwarts Homework show from March to August and saying goodbye to each other and that fun chapter from our strange year! Little did we know that we were days away from being right back where we started.

Hogwarts Homework was hugely popular with our young witches and wizards for a few reasons. One, they got to contribute to each show as the professors would showcase the homework they’d sent in during the week. Two, we tried to be inventive while creating our magical world with no Hollywood budget! And Three, there was Jeffrey. A hilarious plant who lives in the Herbology department at Hogwarts and sings songs about his creator Professor Longbottom! After Jeffrey appeared in the show he became a star in his own right and even started to get his own birthday bookings! And there were many children who wanted Jeffrey to wish them a happy birthday!!

We loved hearing that we were transporting the children to Hogwarts every week and it challenged us to come up with exciting new ideas. One of the most popular lessons was going to see our friend Professor Alba and her owls at the Flying Squadron and equally popular was the duelling video we made with all our students casting spells on each other! But there were simple things too that delighted our students we had feathers and owls on invisible string, mirror tricks for moving portraits and we even borrowed our neighbours bearded dragons for a care of Magical Creatures class.

When we finished the weekly classes at the end of August, after an epic plot line involving horcruxes returning from the past via a stolen time turner, we missed it terribly and now we’re gearing up to bring it back we are in equal measure shocked and delighted! And hopefully we will have enough new lessons and tricks up our sleeve for a second term.

Hard to think we’ve been living in this strange virtual world with limited contact for almost a year now but also hard to imagine is a world in which I don’t know some of the people who have become so important in our lives. Our Hogwarts family. The teachers, the students and of course Jeffrey.

Professor McGonagall will be addressing Hogwarts students past and present on Friday morning at 11am live on the portrait wall known to muggles as Facebook. Hogwarts classes will resume in the Zoom of requirement on Monday the 11th at 11am. You are most welcome to join us. Let’s see what magic we can make together this time.